Subscription Boxes for Men
Self-care made easy.
ishonest / Design by Amelia Manley
Nothing quite fuels frustration like running out of shaving cream or sharp razors...followed by frantically lathering up soap and going at your face with a blunt blade. Ouch. That was the scenario driving several top-notch shaving brands like Harry’s, which bases its entire philosophy around straight-to-your- door subscription boxes.
Taking all the hassle and confusion out of brand selection, subscription boxes have grown in popularity with their effortless, easy-to-use approach. They can be found across a multitude of grooming needs, promising great products and value, and have branched out to include scent and liquor categories, as well.
Below, check out our favorite ones, and sign up ASAP.
Best Overall: Birchbox Grooming Box
Birchbox Grooming Box
With a stellar price point and selection of brands, Birchbox Grooming Box is a top pick for men.
To start, you'll fill out a grooming profile—a series of questions that will ensure the most personalized products are sent to you each month. After you review your first five samples, you'll get a $5 credit to use in the store and your reviews will guarantee the items in your box are tailored to your needs, skin type, and grooming requirements. Should you like a particular sample, you can purchase a full-size version in the Birchbox store—all the while earning $1 back for every $10 spent.
Choose from three subscription options: monthly (about $10 per month), six-month (around $60), and yearly (roughly $110). As value for money goes, Birchbox is unbeatable.
Best Splurge: GQ Best Stuff Box
GQ Best Stuff Box
Fans of GQ are in luck: The boys at GQ have put together a quarterly lifestyle box with all of their current favorites. And in true GQ style, these are luxury products: Each Best Stuff Box features items valued at more than $200 (roughly upwards of $800 per year), along with free shipping.
If you're curious about what comes inside of a GQ's Best Stuff Box, the Spring 2021 box's "big ticket" item was the soft but sharp-looking Richer Poorer's sweat pants. Along with a big water bottle, you also get grooming supplies, a fitness app, and some indispensable sneaker wipes.
With subscriptions available quarterly (about $50) and annually (around $190), you'll get four boxes for the year to keep you looking sharp.
Best for Alcohol: Flaviar
flaviar
The best bachelor pad accessory? The bar. Flaviar will ensure that whether you're having a guys' night or a hot date, the liquor will never be lacking.
Whether you're a whisky, gin, rum, or tequila guy, Flaviar offers a membership that will keep your tastebuds on your toes. In each delivery, you'll get a Premium bottle and a themed Tasting Box, along with exclusive bottles.
A Flaviar membership lets you claim a full-size Premium bottle and a themed Tasting Box of your choice each quarter, plus access to rare, exclusive, and private bottlings. The Tasting Box includes three, 1.5 ounce or 50ml samples of international, premium and/or craft spirits, a collectible concrete coaster, and tasting notes to help you learn about what you're imbibing.
Expect unlimited free shipping on specified orders and Flaviar Originals, as well as a 50% discount on all other orders. You'll also get access to free, live tasting events, and a refer-a-friend program.
You can choose from a quarterly (for about $95) or annual membership (for around $25 per month) and cancel your subscription at any time.
Best for Shaving: Harry’s Shaving Box
Harry’s Shaving Box
If you haven’t heard of Harry’s, wisen up—the brand has completely revolutionized shaving with its subscription boxes and five-blade razors (that’s a close shave).
The Starter Set is about $5 and includes a weighted razor with a rubberized handle, a five-blade razor cartridge, a 2-ounce can of foaming shave gel, and a travel blade cover.
From there, you can customize your ongoing refills. Choose from eight blades for about $15, eight blades and one gel for roughly $20, or around $35 for a family plan, which features two cans of foaming gel and 16 blades.
You can get shipments every two months, three months, or five months. (The smart-order system asks you how many times you shave and subsequently suggests a send-out frequency, a very cool customizing feature you don’t see in other boxes.)
With Harry's, you'll get high-quality products for a fair price. Sign up, and you’ll never have to do another last-minute drugstore haul again.
Best for Skincare: Lumin
Lumin Maintenence Box
Lumin has quickly made waves with the skincare set thanks to its concise and clear approach to male complexions: think blemish-busting, redness-reducing, and fatigue-fighting formulas.
Its subscriptions, which range from Age Management (its Dark Circle Defense is a standout) to Classic Maintenance (featuring its cult-favorite Charcoal Cleanser), are sent out every two months; perfectly timed to make sure you’ll never go without. And to make sure your skincare items are curated to your needs, you'll need to include your skin type and age.
The Classic Maintenance set aims to hydrate, cleanse, and get rid of dead skin, while curbing acne scars and shaving irritation. Products included are Moisturizing Balm, Charcoal Cleanser, and Exfoliating Rub. The Age Management collection targets signs of aging, like fine lines, under-eye bags, wrinkles, and sun damage. Products featured are a Moisturizing Balm, Dark Circle Defense, and an Anti-Wrinkle Serum.
The Anti-Fatigue Essentials Bundle set refreshes tired skin and dark circles with the included Moisturizing Balm, Charcoal Cleanser, Exfoliating Rub, and Dark Circle Defense.
Best Wellness: Luxee
luxee
Every guy needs a little TLC: That's what Luxee is for.
Meant to "improve a guy's grooming, recovery, and confidence," Luxee's subscription box is meant to help you care for every part of you. Each box is curated with the top brands in men's lifestyle, wellness, technology, fitness, and grooming, so you'll always be on-trend.
You can get a quarterly subscription for around $50 per box. Featured items have included a pair of Legend's shorts and gift card, DISCO facial products, boxer shorts, socks, and much more. Subscriptions include a bonus Luxee beanie.
Plus, if you need some time off from Luxee, you can pause, skip, or cancel the box anytime. You also get a 100% money-back guarantee.
Best for Hair & Hair Loss: hims
HIMS Prescription Hair Box
Almost nothing can break a man's spirit more than hair loss. While we are fans of embracing the bald, some of you might want to fight for your follicles.
As a leader in at-home, non-prescription hair loss management, hims has put together a box that includes medically-formulated shampoo, solution, and supplements.
In the Non-Prescription Hair Loss Kit (about $37 per month), you'll receive Minoxidil, a topical solution that helps promote hair growth; a shampoo that decreases the DHT in your scalp (the hormone that causes hair-loss) and helps with volume; and supplements comprised of Biotin to help strengthen hair growth and strong nails.
Even if thinning hair isn’t an issue, hims recommends the occasional course of thickening treatments to stimulate healthy, happy hair. In that case, try the Hair Power Pack. Thanks, hims.
How We Chose the Best Men's Subscription Boxes
In researching this feature, we signed up for several boxes—all of which we will keep subscribing to moving forward. We looked at convenience, the frequency of delivery, the products included, the overall value of the memberships, and pricing. At the end of the day, we sought subscription boxes that were able to take the manual labor out of mundane errands. In selecting these subscription boxes, we made sure they were a clear answer to saving time while keeping you looking, smelling, and feeling great.
Birchbox Grooming Box earned the top spot on our list for its overall value, selection of name-brand products, and rewards. Meanwhile, Flaviar stood out for its high-quality liquor selections for the guy who needs a stocked bar at all times, and Luxee became one of our favorites for its attention to care for both body and mind.
What Are Men's Subscription Boxes?
Men's subscription boxes are memberships that offer a variety of products catered to your personal interests—like self-care, grooming, liquor, and more —delivered at a determined frequency. Depending on the service, you can choose from weekly, bimonthly, monthly, quarterly, or annual shipments. For grooming products, these boxes tend to be monthly or quarterly, and are meant to appear when your stock starts to run out.
What Is Included in a Men's Subscription Box?
The category can cover just about anything, from bike parts to skincare and activewear. More and more customers are opting for subscription boxes due to their great value and time-saving benefits. Instead of running to the store to pick up the items you've run out of, you can spend more time on self-care.